Beautiful Day
by Mickey3
Summary: What starts out as a group day of fun at the park goes horribly wrong, and one X-Man pays the ultimate price for another man's hatred.


**A Day at the Park  
By Mickey**

Status: In Progress

Pairings: Scott/Jean, Remy/Rogue, Warren/Betsy

Content Warnings: Character death. Some minor sexual references. Some bad language and violence.

Archive Permission: Ask first. I'll probably say yes.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue. If Scott _was_ mine, I'd treat him a heck of a lot better than Marvel does!

Word Count: 4,072

Author's Notes: When I originally got the idea for this story and started writing it waaaaay back in 2002, it was much, much shorter. This is set about a year and a half after Operation Zero Tolerance. However, that whole Neo whatever thing, the gathering of the Twelve, and the merging of Apocalypse and Scott never happened. As far as I know, Westchester Park isn't a real place. I made it up because I don't know of any public parks in NY. Many thanks to my neta, Mary!

~Words~ is telepathic conversation  
*Words* is someone's thoughts

* * *

Scott Summers woke, unwillingly, to Shania Twain's _Any Man of Mine_, blaring in his ear. It was a little know secret that the X-Men's leader had an affinity for country music. He'd worked hard to keep it that way. Only Jean and the Professor knew. And he sure as hell wasn't going to let them know he could line dance.

He considered simply blasting the offending alarm clock with one well-aimed optic blast, but immediately reconsidered and sighed as he hit the off button. Destroying yet another alarm clock, while it would be satisfying, would only bring down upon him the wrath of the angry red head who would have to buy another one. Again. Jean, a loving and understanding woman by nature, had telepathically chewed her beloved husband out two days ago (leaving him just slightly ashamed and with a dull headache) as she'd battled Saturday morning traffic on a particularly cold September morning on the way to Wal-Mart to buy a new one. To make matters worse, the heater had suddenly decided to go on the Ford Escape she'd been driving. So, Scott caught hell for that too, though it wasn't his fault directly. She'd apologized later, but only for blaming him for the heater.

He glared at the bright lights of the alarm clock. He usually awoke at 6 a.m., but had reset the alarm for 5:30 the night before. Jean had used her 'Female Persuasion Techniques' as she called them, to get him to go to bed a little early. This meant the days Danger Room workout had not yet been programmed in. He'd set the alarm clock to go off early so he could do the program and still have time for his morning jog before training began at seven. Knowing that simply lying there wouldn't change the time; he reluctantly got out of bed. Standing at the foot of the bed, he stretched and yawned. He was only slightly startled to hear Jean's voice in his mind.

~Wise decision husband 'o' mine.~ She sent. Jean stifled a yawn as she joined her husband at the foot of the bed. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Sorry, Hun, I didn't mean to wake you." He kissed her hair, letting the scent of her strawberries and cream shampoo linger in his nostrils.

"It's okay, Scott. It's my fault you have to get up early." A wicked smile played on her lips as she remembered the events of the previous night. "I'm sorry."

Scott noticed that she didn't look particularly apologetic. "Uh huh, sure you are." Reluctantly, he slipped out of her embrace and headed for the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for his jog.

Jean, however, had other plans. She lifted herself into the air and landed in front of Scott just as he got to the bathroom door. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him passionately. ~Come back to bed. I bet I can show you a good time. Much more fun than jogging.~

~Oh, I know you could.~ Scott sent. He broke off the kiss. "It's a tempting offer, Redd, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline." He left her standing with her mouth a gap as he took a step towards the shower.

Jean was not easily dissuaded. She telekinetically loosened the strings on Scott's pajama pants, stopping him in his tracks. Then she used that same power to drop his pants to his ankles. He turned towards her and she snickered at the look on his face.

Scott tried to be angry with Jean but couldn't. "Minx."

Jean stepped towards him and whispered in his ear.

*Damn! I don't really need to jog today anyway.* Scott thought as he allowed himself to be lead back to the bed.

X X X X X X X X X X X X

Half an hour later Scott tried once again to get into the shower. He entered the bathroom, leaving the door open behind him. Stripping quickly, Scott removed his sleeping goggles and replaced them with the watertight ones. He stepped into the shower and set the water temperature the way he liked it. He grabbed the shampoo and lathered his hair, getting lost in the memory of Hank giving him the watertight goggles as a birthday gift this past year. Scott had been surprised when he'd opened the box.

"I can only imagine, my optically challenged friend, how difficult it must be for you to shower with your eyes shut. These should rectify that situation." Hank had said as he reached into the box and removed the goggles. Then, in words that were mostly to advanced for the others to comprehend, Hank had explained how he'd made the goggles.

Scott had remained silent, trying not to look confused as Hank explained. When he'd finished, Scott had looked at his blue-furred friend, a wide grin plastered on his face that reached from ear to ear. It had been a simple gift, but meant so much more to Scott then any of the others would ever realize. "Thanks, Hank." He'd said simply as he embraced his long time friend.

Scott was startled out of the memory, by a naked Jean slipping her arms round his waist from behind. "I thought I'd give you a hand, Lover." She whispered seductively into his ear as she soaped up her hands and slipped them down his abdomen.

Sucking in a deep breath Scott started to protest weakly. "Jean, you're not hel . . ."

She silenced him quickly by turning him around and planting her lips firmly against his. Scott gave up his pathetic attempt to push his wife away and leaned into the kiss. Hot water slid over their bodies. Scott finally broke off the kiss. "Jean, I really need to down to the danger room."

Scott knew that a persistent Jean was one not easily deterred and he quickly gave up trying to stop her. Another hour later, he finally managed to get his shower. His _very_ cold shower.

X X X X X X X X X X X X

Scott and Jean walked into the kitchen together. Jean sat at the table as Scott went to the cabinet and removed their coffee cups. He fixed their coffee and handed a cup to Jean as he leaned over to kiss her. Then he took the seat next to her and grabbed a banana out of the fruit basket. He was happy to see the whole team there. Warren and Betsy had stopped by for a visit the night before and had stayed. Bobby had somehow managed to drag Hank out of his lab; even Remy was at the table having somehow managed to get himself up in time for breakfast. *I'm sure Rouge had something to do with that.* Scott thought with a smile. The only person missing was Professor Xavier, who was in Nevada talking to a potential new recruit for the X-Men.

"Mon ami," Gambit started, "I t'ought de idea was to take a shower _after_ de work out, not _before_ it."

Scott blushed then gave the Cajun his best 'I'm the leader so don't mess with me' stare, which, of course, never quiet came across the way he wanted it to. He blamed it on the glasses. It just made everyone chuckle. He sighed heavily and shrugged his shoulders. The rest of breakfast passed in the normal manner with good-natured teasing and idle chitchat.

With breakfast finished, Ororo stood up and said, "I think we should proceed to the Danger Room and get started." She put her plate in the sink then started for the Danger Room. Scott cleared his throat loudly stopping her. Ororo turned towards the table to see that Scott was now standing.

"Hold on a minute, 'Ro. Before any of you ask I have not been abducted by aliens, replaced by a Skrull, nor is my mind under anyone's control other than my own." He paused dramatically taking a large amount of glee in their curios faces. "I'm canceling our training session for today. We've been going fast and hard for a few weeks now and I think we could all use a little down time. Jean and I are going to Westchester Park for the day. We're leaving in about an hour. If any of you want to come along, be in the living room in half-an-hour."

Bobby stared at Scott in disbelief. A slow smile crossed his face as he said, "OK, who the heck are you and what did you do with our stick-up-the-butt-never-let-us-have-any-fun leader?" He tired to duck, unsuccessfully, as a muffin hit him in the head. Everyone laughed. Shocked at Scott's childish behavior but not wanting to spoil this rare moment, no one remarked on it.

"Very funny, Bobby." Scott said smiling. He wrapped his arm around Jean and they walked out of the kitchen together.

"Ah don't know about ya'll, but Ah'm not gonna let this opportunity go ta waste. A day at the park sounds nice." Rogue turned to Remy. "Comin' Cajun?" She reached out and seductively rubbed her bare hand down his face. "Maybe we can slip off by ourselves for a spell." She turned and sauntered out of the kitchen.

"Wait for me petite!" Remy called after her as he followed her out.

The remaining X-Men smiled at there friends. They were still a little surprised at Rouge's comfort with her recently mastered skill, but were thrilled for her. It had taken her ten long months and many, many hours a day of training with Jean and the Professor to finally be able to touch people without her gloves, but she finally achieved it. In the first month after, she was still weary and wouldn't touch anyone for more than a few seconds at a time. She also still wore long sleeve shirts and gloves most of the time. Within the last five months though, she hadn't worn her gloves once. She'd taken to unexpectedly kissing Remy long and hard, causing many laughs by his friends, as he'd blush bright red. They were also thrilled for the young couple because Rouge was almost four months pregnant with Remy's baby. Which, of course, had brought the Cajun much teasing on how quickly Rouge had become pregnant.

The remaining X-Men filed out of the kitchen and within half-an-hour all of the X-Men were gathered in the living room. All of them were wearing their swimsuits and had towels draped around their shoulders. The crystal clear water of the lake was always inviting and warm in the summer.

X X X X X X X X X X X X

Logan smiled as he walked into the room. As much as he grumbled and pretended to hate any group outings, he really enjoyed them. It gave him a chance to relax for a little while, and he liked to see the people he'd come to think of as his family doing the same, especially Scott. It had taken a long time for the two men to form a comfortable friendship and Logan valued it more than he would ever let the younger man know. In his opinion, Scott didn't get nearly enough time to relax and just kick back. He took his responsibility as team leader seriously, which was one of the things Logan respected most about Scott. "We'll, are we gonna stand around here starrin' at each other all day or are we gonna get going?"

"We're going Logan. Jean and I are going to stop at the store to pick up some burgers, hot dogs, and chips for lunch. The rest of you can head on over to the park and we'll meet you there." Everyone nodded in agreement and headed to the garage. Logan watched as Scott grabbed a bag of briquettes and a small container of lighter fluid and put them in the trunk of his car. Jean grabbed the large cooler and put it with the other stuff. Bobby jumped into Scott's car. "I'm going with you two. Someone has to make sure you get _all_ the necessities." Grinning, he buckled his seatbelt.

Logan shook his head and smiled as he got on his motorcycle and turned towards the park followed by the rest of the team, who had all pilled into the SUV.

X X X X X X X X X X X X

Jean shook her head, smiling. She knew that meant they'd be leaving the store with much more than Scott had planned on. *Someday, he might actually grow up.*

~I hope not. Not totally, anyway.~ Scott sent, picking up on her thought. ~I pray I never see the day anyone manages to make Bobby lose his innocence that much.~ The couple got into the car and headed for the store.

Almost an hour later Scott pulled his car into the parking lot at the park. Rouge, Remy and Warren were waiting for them and approached the car as he parked. The others had gone in to find a good spot close to the lake with a grill. Rogue shook her head as she opened the back door. "Damn, Sugar, looks like ya'll brought out the store." She said with a laugh. There were several cases of soda on the floor, and the back seat was covered with bags containing, foam plates, napkins, plastic cutlery, several bags of potato chips, and Doritos, four bags each of hot dog and hamburger buns, two bags of pretzel sticks, several boxes of Twinkies (which Bobby had pleaded like a three year for until Scott had given in laughing), and everything needed to make S'mores. There was also a bag containing two twenty-count boxes of hamburgers and several packs of hot dogs.

Scott tried to give Bobby an angry glare but his laughter belayed it. "Blame Bobby. Him and his 'necessities'!" Bobby responded by blowing raspberries at Scott. Scott went around to the trunk and grabbed the briquettes and the lighter fluid. Remy grabbed three cases of soda while Warren grabbed the other three. Between them, Jean and Rogue managed to grab most of the bags. They found their friends quickly. Scott started the grill while Bobby went back to the car to get the cooler, now half filled with ice, from the trunk and Jean grabbed the rest of the bags. The others unpacked the bags. With so many hands, they made quick work of it. Bobby returned with cooler. He quickly filled it with soda and joined the others who were setting up the volleyball net. Scott joined them for a quick game as he let the briquettes get hot. It had been decided way back when it was just the five originals, that Scott was the designated cook at all barbeques. Not only was he one of the few who managed to not burn the food while cooking, but they all knew how much he enjoyed it, despite his protestations to the opposite.

Scott smiled as he cooked the food and watched his friends play. There was an occasional argument about whether the ball was out or not, and a few yells of, "Hey! No powers!" Soon the food was done and Scott braced himself for the onslaught as he called out, "Foods done!" In less than ten seconds, a horde of hungry X-Men were lined up behind Scott. He felt a hand on his back and turned his head to see Bobby pushing himself back. Laughing, Scott said, "Take it easy people, there's plenty to go around." He quickly dished out the food. Grabbing the last two burgers and hotdogs for himself and Jean, Scott joined his friends at the table. He put some chips, Doritos, and pretzels on his plate and joined in the conversation.

When everyone was done, they all pitched in and helped clean up. Bobby got out the stuff for the S'mores and started making them. Ororo wrapped them in foil as he finished each one and handed them to Scott who put them on the grill. Once done, he loaded them on a plate and handed it to Betsy who then handed them out to the others. Bobby handed her more uncooked ones on another plate and she gave them to Scott. When the last ones were done, Scott put them on a plate on the table. He then took some water from the cooler and poured it on the grill. Scott sat at the table by Jean.

"Here Scott, we saved you two." Bobby's words were barely intelligible, his mouth full of his own S'more. The others were use to it though and had learned to understand him.

"Didn't your mama teach you not to talk with your mouth full, mon ami?"

Bobby rewarded Remy's question with a mumbled, inaudible reply. Then he swallowed and stuck his tongue out at the Cajun.

Warren chuckled as he watched the exchange. It had been far to long since he'd been able to simply have a good time with his friends. The past year and half at Worthington Industries had been extremely hectic. He'd been to the mansion only four times in that span and they had been for missions where either his unique skills or business ties were needed.

It was no secret that Warren hadn't cared much for Remy when the brash, arrogant young manqw had joined the X-Men. When Remy's involvement in the mutant massacre had come to light that distrust had tuned to barely controlled animosity. After months of breaking the two men up in the danger during every session, repairing a hole in the wall of the rec room, and replacing the den couch twice, Scott had had enough. After a particularly bad danger room session, he'd called Warren into the war room alone and chewed him out like never before, then left a seething Warren there alone to contemplate what had been said. Warren had been angry with Scott at first. He'd stormed out of the mansion and taken to the sky, not caring who saw him. After circling the mansion grounds for almost two hours he'd calmed down considerably and realized that Scott had been right. With as much humility as he could muster, Warren had located Remy and the two men had had a long conversation. Starting with Warren apologizing. It took time, but eventually the two men became friends. Both knew they would never become best friends, but they did like each other and enjoyed each other's company. Warren was truly happy for Remy and Rogue.

Scott smiled as he accepted the treats. Once done, they all spread their towels out by the edge of the lake. For almost an hour, they all laid quietly, soaking up the sun and enjoying the chance to relax. Eventually, it became too much for Bobby, never having been one to be still or quiet for long. He jumped up with a whoop and ran into the lake. He was followed quickly by Hank, who immediately dunked Bobby. Soon the whole group was in the water and a splash fight broke out.

"Hey! Put me down!" Bobby yelped as Warren lifted him about eight feet into the air.

"Whatever you say, Bobby." Without another word, Warren let Bobby go.

Roaring laughter broke out as Bobby landed in the water, sank a little, and then came up sputtering. Looking very much like a fish with his mouth opening and closing with no words coming out, Bobby glared at his friend. "Now you're gonna get it!" Bobby swore. He put his hands in the air towards Warren and closed his eyes. Warren stared in shock at the sheet of ice that had formed around his wings effectively freezing them in place as he fell into the water, gasping as he surfaced. "Payback's a bitch," Bobby exclaimed. He dove under the surface and swam towards the middle of the lake, Warren following close behind.

Normally, Scott would admonish them for such an open display of their mutant abilities, but in the past year, much of the animosity harbored against mutants had begun to ease. The professor had been working hard to gain the publics trust. He'd gone to endless meetings, many of which Scott had joined him on. After one of those meetings, Scott had had a long talk with the professor. He'd suggested that perhaps it was time that the X-Men started telling their side of the story. A short time later, after once again stopping the Brotherhood from wreaking havoc, the X-Men had done their first interview with a reporter named Connor O'Neill. Seeming to realize that Scott was the leader, most of the reporter's questions had been directed at Scott. Much to everyone's surprise, O'Neill had been fair and seemed to genuinely want to hear what they had to say. The report had aired live. He would interview them again many times over the following months.

Most of the reporters that interviewed them also treated them fairly. Scott smiled as he remembered the astonished looks on his friends' faces when one reporter had thoroughly pissed him off. She'd been rude and particularly arrogant from the beginning, insinuating that the X-Men had started the fight. She'd said they had attacked those three poor men who were only defending themselves from the viscous mutant who'd attacked them without cause. Scott had laid into her without mercy. After a few minutes, she was red faced and sputtering. Scott had turned and walked away, a small smile on his face. The reporter had doctored the tape to make Scott appear to be the aggressor and herself the innocent reporter just trying to do her job. Luckily, Connor O'Neill had also been there and had caught the whole thing on tape. His report aired at the same time. Later that night he'd watched hers as it replayed on her network. He'd done some digging and found out a few things. Using the information, he'd forced her to publicly tell the truth and air the interview as it had been recorded.

Lost in thought, Scott hadn't seen Hank sneak up behind him. Suddenly he was tossed several feet and landed unceremoniously on his back. He sank far a few seconds then surfaced, sputtering and spitting out water. He sent a telepathic message to Jean who smiled and nodded. Suddenly, Hank found himself hanging upside down several feet in the air, an invisible hand holding him by one ankle. "Hey," he complained, "that's not fair!"

"Neither is sneaking up on a man when he's thinking." Jean replied with a grin. "Now, apologize, Hank."

"NEVER!" Hank laughed.

Jean swung him side to side. "Say it Hank."

"NO!" Hank yelled. "You can't make me!"

"Oh really?" Jean swung him again. *Definitely looking a little green.* Smirking, she swung him a little faster.

"Just say it Hank." Betsy called up to him. "You should know better by know. Jean won't let you go until she gets what she wants."

"How about a little help here?" Hank asked no one in particular.

Wisely, no one moved. None of them wanted to be the next one suspended upside down over the water.

Jean let him drop about a foot, then caught him and raised him up again. "Well, Hank?"

"Okay, okay, I give!" Hank looked to Scott. "I'm sorry, Scotty. I won't do it again."

Scott smiled at his friend. He loved these rare moments where they could all let loose and act like kids.

"Happy now, Jean? Please put me down." Hank pleaded.

With a wicked grin, Jean said, "Sure, Hank." And she let him go.

Hank sank a few feet before surfacing, looking very much like a petulant child, and a drowned rat. "That was just plain mean, Jean. I said I was sorry." Hank crossed his arms and gave his best pout face.

"Next time, don't take so long." Jean gave Hank a big grin, then turned and swam over to Scott.

"My knight in shining armor." Scott pulled Jean into an embrace. "Jean Grey-Summers, slayer of dragons, evil mutants, and large furry blue Beasts."

They stayed like that for a while, comfortable in each other's arms, as they watched their friends. It was good to see them all so happy and just enjoying each other's company. Eventually, Scott and Jean got out. They grabbed their towels off the picnic table, found a good spot in the sand, and laid down. The bright sun felt good and within minutes, Jean was sound asleep. Scott watched her chest gently rise and fall a few times before he closed his own eyes and let his mind wander.

_TBC_


End file.
